SAUDI ARABIA WILL host its first ever invitational snooker event with the introduction of a new golden ball which could increase the maximum break to 167, the World Snooker Tour has announced.
The inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will take place in March and seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to feature in the 10-player field alongside 2019 world champion Judd Trump and current holder Luca Brecel.
The tournament will see the introduction of a 23rd golden ball, known as the Riyadh Season ball, which will be worth 20 points, however, this can only be potted once a maximum break of 147 has been completed.
The three-day event will take place at Boulevard Arena in Boulevard City, Riyadh, from March 4-6.
Snooker will join a host of other sports to take place in Saudi Arabia in recent years after a deal was confirmed between CEO of General Entertainment Authority Faisal Bafarat and the chairman of World Snooker Tour Steve Dawson, alongside Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh and sports promoters Eddie Hearn and Barry Hearn.
Dawson said: “It is a great privilege for the World Snooker Tour to work in partnership with HE Advisor Turki Alalshikh to stage an event in Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“This is a huge breakthrough for snooker into a new territory, and we see this as the beginning of a new adventure for our sport in the region.”
Eddie Hearn confirmed the event will feature the top eight players in the world including two wildcards and a prize pool of one million US dollars.
Amnesty International urged snooker’s leading stars to seize the opportunity to speak out about human rights abuses.
Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s Economic Affairs director, said: “It was just a matter of time before Saudi Arabia’s huge sportswashing machine sucked in snooker along with almost every other major world sport.
“If the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump play in Riyadh, they shouldn’t hesitate to speak out about human rights.”
Meanwhile, former world champion Shaun Murphy urged fans to give the new ‘golden ball’ a chance.
“You should never criticise something unless you’ve tried it. It’s just something different and it’s not the first time the sport has tried new ideas.
“I imagine they (World Snooker Tour) had to make a few concessions to get the event over the line, and the new promoters in Saudi will want their event to stand out and be different. At the end of the day you’d rather have the event than not.”
Precise details of the format relating to the golden ball are yet to be revealed, but the PA news agency understands that WST is not considering the introduction of the ball for any other tournaments.
